No. 10 Arizona basketball defeated Canisius, 93-64, to win their first regular season game.
The Wildcats faced the Golden Griffins for the first time in 71 years as the head coach of Canisius, Jim Christian, worked to revamp their roster via the transfer portal.
Arizona did not hold back, they took Canisius four minutes to score their first point, making the score 20-2 thus leading to a 52-30 lead at halftime. Canisius struggled with their size but responded on offense to close the gap a little, taking a 29-point loss. They were predicted to lose by 25 plus.
Canisius had a lack of size but managed to shoot 43% from the floor in a game they were expected to lose by much more than 29 points in Mckale Center, one of the toughest road environments in college basketball.
Takeaway #1: Why foul with a huge lead?
Arizona saw foul trouble early on with 20 personal fouls in the game. With such a huge lead, sloppy fouls are unnecessary, especially against a small team.
These trends continued into the second half: Both teams were in foul trouble but Arizona had more than Canisius by the end of the game. Canisius had 15 personal fouls and Arizona with 20.
Tobe Awaka saw himself in trouble with 4 personal fouls for Arizona and Canisius A. Benard saw 4 of their 15.
Sloppy fouls are unnecessary.
Takeaway #2: Communication!
With huge depth on the Arizona basketball bench and a less skilled opponent, a lot of the bench saw minutes for Arizona. There was a lack of communication at times, leading to sloppy turnovers that really should not be happening against a team like Canisius.
Multiple times, two players went up for the same rebound, fighting each other for the ball. Lack of communication could be a result of comfortability against a weaker opponent.
Although there were multiple silly turnovers Arizona secured 43 rebounds compared to Canisius’ 25. Arizona dominated throughout the game with 48.5 percent in field goals.
Canisius saw a better percentage in free throws and 3-point shots. They saw 38.5 percent compared to Arizona’s 28.6 percent in 3-point shots. This seems to be an ongoing trend with the Wildcats as they struggled with their 3-point attempts against Point Loma last week.
Take away #3: Caleb Love brings the energy
Love is loved. From the very beginning, starting lineups, he was praised by the crowd and his teammates bringing energy to McKale for their season opener.
He led the team with 21 minutes on the court, 17 points, and 6 assists; thus, giving him a 46.7 percent field goal percentage after just his first game.
The North Carolina transfer, 6’4” guard tested the waters in the NBA after a stand-out season in 2023-24 with the Wildcats. He ultimately decided to stay and play his senior season which gave him pre-season honors early on.
Next up for Arizona (1-0): vs. Old Dominion (0-1) – Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.
Next up for Canisius (0-1): vs. St. Bonaventure (1-0) – Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.